Day: December 5, 2024

       Time seemed to slow down, and the three-story staircase leading downstairs became lengthy, as if it would never end. Chu Yichen felt as if his strength had been drained; his steps were a little unsteady, and he could only hold on to the handrail tightly. He was used to being calm, used to being expressionless, used to being calm in times of crisis, but at this moment, maintaining these habits became so difficult.

       With every step he took, his heart trembled. He was afraid—afraid that when he got downstairs, he would get a result that he couldn’t accept.

       “He is still alive.” The four words Zhang Juan said made everyone breathe a sigh of relief at the same time. “Fortunately, there are soft shrubs and soil underneath. Judging from the current situation, there may be several fractures. As for whether the internal organs are damaged, I can’t say. I will take him for further examination.”

       Chu Yichen nodded slightly.

       Other doctors there had already carefully put Chu Yunhan into the ambulance. Since there were always injuries and ailments that couldn’t be publicly addressed and needed to be treated in the Black Eagle Groups, the group had a private clinic with top-notch equipment in K City. Zhang Juan wanted to take Yunhan there.

       “Do you… Want to go there together?” Dr. Zhang couldn’t help but ask when he saw Chu Yichen looking like this.

       The man looked in the direction of the ambulance and shook his head.

       Zhang Juan sighed, patted his shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry; I’m here.” Then he turned around and hurried away.

       The car drove away, yet Chu Yichen still stood motionless.

       On weekdays, he was like a clock that ran meticulously and accurately, not making any mistakes for a moment. But now, it was as if all his batteries had been exhausted, and it had completely stopped. He had lost all the ability to think calmly and process, and all that was left in his mind was Chu Yunhan’s expression before he jumped.

       That tired and empty look became a freeze frame.

       Chu Yunhan jumped so crisply, leaving no words behind.

       When bidding farewell to this world, he didn’t want to say a word to him anymore.

       There was a rumble of thunder in the distance. The sky, which had been hazy for a long time, finally started to drizzle. Fine water droplets fell from the sky, swayed by the wind, and fell reluctantly to the earth. Chu Yichen stood silently in the rain with his hands hanging down, the wounds on his fingers still oozing blood. Hei Yu tried to persuade him from the side, but he didn’t seem to hear it. He just stared blankly at the small patch of blood where Chu Yunhan fell, in a trance.

       Hei Yu had no choice but to strictly order his subordinates not to leak any information about what happened today and let them disperse first. Du Chuan held an umbrella for Chu Yichen behind him. Bai Xiao hurried over after a while, as if he was about to say something, but was stopped by Hei Yu. The two talked in a low voice. When Bai Xiao learned what had just happened, he looked at the person standing in the rain in surprise, frowned and continued to discuss with Hei Yu.

       The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Even though he was under an umbrella, raindrops still hit him diagonally. In the blink of an eye, his pants and shoes were wet. The small pool of blood on the ground also melted into the rain, getting lighter and lighter, finally disappearing as if it had never existed.

       Chu Yichen finally made a move. He turned around and looked at Bai Xiao and said, “Speak up. How are things going?”

       “Young master, two ships at the southeastern port have been detained. The cargo has all been declared, and there are no issues with it. However… four crates of smuggled endangered animals were found on those two ships. Both vessels belong to Wang Jin, and it appears he was transporting the goods secretly. He’s currently detained, and the police are awaiting our response,” Bai Xiao summarised the situation concisely.

       “What you do yourself should be taken care of by yourself. Tell them to handle it by the book—there’s no need to give me any special treatment for something like this.”

       “But… Wang Jin has many people under his command. He has always been very kind to the people below him, and he evenly distributes money, so he is quite popular. He is also considered one of the more capable among the fourth-level cadres. I am worried that unsympathetic to push him out will lead to dissatisfaction below.”

       The man frowned and wanted to speak, but he felt a sudden dizziness. Everything in front of him instantly lost colour and then quickly fell into darkness. He staggered, and before he lost strength and fell, he heard Bai Xiao yelling.

       “Young Master! Young Master! What’s wrong with you…”

       …

       In the confined room, he was sitting in the corner covered in blood, looking up at the only small window high above. The light streaming through illuminated the dust floating in the air, and he seemed entranced—gazing at it with unwavering focus. Only when the heavy door creaked open did he tear his gaze away, shifting his eyes to the figure of his father as he entered.

       “Do you regret it?” the man asked.

       He shook his head.

       “In this position, there will be many times when you have to get blood on your hands. If you are as indecisive as you were this time, you will pay a higher price.”

       He looked at the person lying in a pool of blood in the corner, lowered his eyes and said, “I understand.”

       Three days ago, he was imprisoned in this secret room with this murderer who was responsible for several lives. The instruction the other party received was to kill him to survive. During the previous two and a half days, he had been trying to find a way for both of them to survive, but he was attacked several times, leaving him severely scarred. In the end, he cut the guy’s throat with the only knife he had during the hand-to-hand fight.

       That was the first time he killed someone with his own hands. Walking out of the dark room with a strong smell of blood, he felt as if he had died once.

       “The Young Master is looking for you.” The butler handed him the phone. He took it with his bloody hand, dialled the phone, and heard Chu Yunhan’s voice on the other end, “You finally called me back. Today is your birthday. How are you going to spend it?”

       “…I forgot.” he said.

       “How can you forget? Then I have arranged a super cool party for you!”

       “There are too many people, and it’s noisy.”

       “Hey, you’re the boss today, and you have the final say. I’ll come and find you first, then we’ll decide. By the way, I’ve prepared the cake for you.”

       “Okay.” After hanging up the phone, he said to Du Chuan, “Prepare clean clothes for me, something with a dark turtleneck and something that can cover the wound.”

       “Yes, Master.”

       “Take out the chessboard.”

       “Yes, Master.”

       The day before his eighteenth birthday, he learned how to become ruthless from the cruel heir education. For more than three months after that, he was plagued by nightmares and woke up countless times in the middle of the night.

       And every time he saw the photos Chu Yunhan posted on social networks, he unconsciously curled his lips.

       Fortunately, I am the one who has to live with all this.

       Fortunately, I am the one who needs to change.

       Fortunately…

       …

       “Yichen…my dad is dying.” On the other end of the phone, his trembling voice was filled with tears.

       “My mother took sleeping pills and is now in the hospital for emergency treatment… Yichen, what should I do…”

       “Yichen… Can you call me back…”

       When that person needed him the most, he was far away in City J, leading his team at a major project bidding event, unable even to receive the call. By the time he tried calling back, there was no answer. It wasn’t until the day before the funeral that he rushed back, only to be greeted by a broken-down Chu Yunhan.

       “I’m sorry, I…”

       “You don’t need to kneel here.” Chu Yunhan’s tone was cold, without any intimacy.

       From then on, Chu Yunhan never called him again.

       His father began to entrust him with some things to do. When he first took over, he was very busy every day. He occasionally visited the person, but he was always turned away.

       …

       In the bar.

       The man was lazily leaning on the sofa in the bar. He was holding the waitress in his right hand and shaking the wine glass at him in his left hand, “Long time no see Yichen, come and have a drink.” The dim, entrancing lights cast a mesmerising glow across that face, adding an almost seductive allure. 

       “Get out.” Chu Yichen looked at the woman with a cold face.

       The escort stood up in a hurry but was yanked back into the man’s arms. “How amusing. The Chu family empire is vast enough for you to manage, yet now you’re here meddling with me as well?”

       “Chu Yunhan, how long will you continue to indulge yourself like this?”

       “What’s wrong? Is it because you think I’ve ruined the Chu Family’s reputation, or is it because you, Second Young Master Chu, dislike me?” Chu Yunhan raised his chin and sneered, “You haven’t even officially taken over as head of the family, and you’re already using me as your first example to establish authority?”

       “Come home with me.”

       The man laughed, looked at him and said, “My father is dead, and my mother is in a nursing home. Where is the home you speak of?”

       He was silent for a moment and said, “You still have me.”

       “Ha.” Chu Yunhan laughed as if he heard a good joke and looked at him sideways, “Chu Yichen, who do you think you are?”

       He turned and left. The bodyguards stepped forward and dragged the yelling young man into the car.

       …

       “The Young Master injured the bodyguard and ran out. Do you need someone to bring him back?” Hei Yu came to report.

       He turned his eyes from the book in his hand to the window, remained silent for a while, and said, “Let him go.” After a while, he added, “Send two people to follow him and protect him.”

       “Yes.” Hei Yu hesitated.

       “What’s wrong?”

       “Eldest Young Master’s temperament has changed a lot, and he is getting more and more out of character. I’m worried…”

       “That’s just his way of exiling himself. Let him be.”

       “Okay.”

       …

       Later.

       “Yichen… I was caught by them… Please, help me…” Chu Yunhan’s voice trembled, helpless and heart-wrenching like the previous time.

       “If you want to exchange his life, come to the warehouse by the sea and do it alone.” Grey Wolf’s voice was harsh and harsh.

       “I will do it, provided you don’t hurt him.” He hung up the phone, turned and walked towards the door.

       “Young Master!” Bai Xiao stopped him in his tracks, “You can’t go! How could the Grey Wolf catch the Eldest Young Master without any movement under our heavy protection? This is simply a trap. Have you ever thought that Eldest Young Master might…”

       He raised his eyes calmly.

       Bai Xiao saw his expression and said in shock, “Young Master, you…”

       “Even if there is a ninety-nine percent chance that he worked with the Grey Wolf to deceive me, as long as there is a one percent chance that he is in danger, I will go.”

       …

       Grey Wolf smiled ferociously and told him that Chu Yunhan had lied to him. He fell to the ground covered in blood, and his only thought before closing his eyes was——

       Fortunately, the man is safe.

       Fortunately…

       …

       Chu Yichen opened his eyes.

       The room was very quiet.

       The man standing by the window turned around when he heard the noise. He looked at him and said, “Are you awake?”

       “…Father.”

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